4 Cardinals the Detroit Lions could trade for as Arizona embraces tank mode
4. DL Kevin Strong
Strong actually started his NFL career with the Lions as an undrafted free agent out of UTSA in 2019, seeing action in 15 games over two-plus seasons before being waived. He spent the rest of the 2021 campaign and all of 2022 with the Tennessee Titans. Last season he played in 16 games for Tennessee (304 defensive snaps, one start), with 23 total tackles, two batted down passes and 12 quarterback hits.
Strong (6-foot-4, 295 pounds) offers some inside/outside defensive line versatility, though he has seen the majority of his snaps on the inside (244 of those 304 snaps last season on the interior, according to Pro Football Focus). He has played 81 defensive snaps over two games this season, with three total tackles.
A conditional seventh-round pick, conditioned on him being on the 53-man roster for a certain amount of time, playing in a certain number of games/snaps, etc. is all it would take to add Strong to the Lions' defensive line depth as Josh Paschal and James Houston face lengthy absences.
3. WR Zach Pascal
If only as a depth piece, there was a case for the Lions to consider pursuing Pascal in free agency last offseason. He has good size (6-foot-2), has been a bit of red zone threat when he's had opportunity and he is regarded as a good run blocker. But he followed Cardinals' head coach Jonathan Gannon from Philadelphia to Arizona, signing a two-year deal he probably didn't find elsewhere on the open market.
Pascal, perhaps not surprisingly, has only played 28 offensive snaps over two games this season. He is lined up to have a bit, or non-existent, role on what will be a bad offense-and bad might not be a strong enough word. His role in Arizona has always been a question, beyond being a veteran on a young team and a player Gannon knows.
The Lions have depth questions at wide receiver until shown otherwise, and perhaps even after Jameson Williams comes back from his suspension. Pascal is not a star, but from a distance he seems like he'd be a nice fit in Dan Campbell's culture.